Program   

The Public History program will provide students with an M.A. degree in history from the Department of History with a public history specialization. The public history track will educate students in the applied application of history outside of the university and classroom settings. Students will learn how public historians think and operate as professionals. Through both traditional and applied coursework, students will select and develop specific skills in public history practice including community history, museology, policy history, environmental history, and media history.

Students will learn a variety of history and interdisciplinary skills through coursework offered within the History Department and with other university departments and programs. Additionally, the program will provide both the students and the university with an invaluable association with various government agencies, businesses, museums, historical organizations, and individuals in and around the Pensacola area.

Established in 1976 as a specific form of historical education and practice, public history programs are relatively new in nature. Although more than fifty programs currently exist in the United States, there are no programs in the Florida panhandle or surrounding states. In framing this program, the areas of concentration represent the strengths of the history department and university faculty as well as the abundant variety resources and operations in the region.

Because of the skills of the faculty and the opportunities in the area, the University of West Florida can quickly become the cornerstone of public history training for students throughout the region and the nation. Following the completion of the program, students will enter the job market with viable public history skills and experiences that will enable them to secure employment with various agencies and organizations.

ARTICULATION WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS/COLLEGES:

In establishing this public history track at the M.A. level, the history department has articulated with many departments on campus, gaining support for the program and identifying courses that are appropriate for public history students to take. We have identified courses in Art History, Public Administration, Archaeology, Communication Arts, and Business. We are currently identifying courses in environmental studies.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

The public history track within the UWF history department will train students in the various aspects of public, or applied, history. Public history is basically the study of history outside the academic setting. Students will learn about the numerous ways in which public historians think and operate as professionals. Beginning with an introductory seminar, students will then develop both traditional and public history skills and techniques. Students will work in two or more areas of public history specialization including community history, museology and museum studies, policy history, environmental history, and/or media history. Coursework is offered through both the history department and through other university departments and programs. To facilitate the learning of various skills and research techniques, students will participate in a six-credit internship with an appropriate agency or organization. As an additional non-thesis option, students will complete and defend an extensive report on their internship experience. The combination of traditional and applied skills with the practical application of public history in the field will provide students with the resources to secure employment following graduation.